Don't Look Back
by Water Goddess1
Summary: I won't stop you, her dry eyes told him. Dry... she'd run out of tears to shed for him a long time ago. But despite that, he found himself wishing for her to pull on his sleeves and cry for him to stay... to stay with her.


_**DISCLAIMER; NARUTO DOES NOT BELONG TO ME!!!**_

_**Summary; What if Sakura had actually encouraged Sasuke to go? Would the whole story change? **_

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Chapter One – Pride And Confession 

_**I'm not mad that you did it, I'm mad because of why you did it.**_

"Is it worth it?" she murmured, pressing her skin again the dewy grass. He was silent, like always, but unlike before, Sakura found it to be a comforting silence. There were few times when Uchiha Sasuke wasn't so guarded about his feelings; and she had long since known when to cherish those moments.

He didn't answer, just looking at her with the same intense gaze as always.

Feeling the grass underneath her fingers, she fiddled with it, looking up at the horizon with a childish awe. She wasn't the same, he concluded, watching her fixedly. She was more mature when she was like this, he thought to himself, a feeling of content rising in his heart –though he would never openly admit it-.

"Is it worth it?" her jade eyes narrowed as she repeated the question, looking back at him with fury in her gaze. She hated being ignored; he noticed when they were children. It was one of her top dislikes; along with asparagus, bullies, and of course, **her father**.

It wasn't that she had ever openly stated that she hated her father, just that she never spoke of him unless asked to. He found it odd at first, how easily she spoke of her deceased mother and sister. He had thought that her father was dead; before that incident happened.

--

It was March 28th, he could remember the date so clearly. They (as in Naruto, Kakashi, and he) had bought a birthday present for her; a beautiful white comb with engraved cherry blossom designs. They were off of training that day, and found her at the garden; a quiet place that she was known to spend her time at. She was on her knees, holding a rose, a white rose, and smelling it delicately; her face pressed against the white petals.

_It was probably the most enchanting site he'd seen in his whole life. _

"Sakura-chan!" the dobe had greeted her cheerfully, embracing her with a hug. Shocked, she laughed at first, and then embraced him as well. Probably the only time she actually tolerated the dobe touching her. She was happy at that moment. Genuinely happy, with a bright full-blown smile on her face. There was a moment where time had stood still; smiling at him with her jade eyes the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen; only for him.

_And for the first time in his life, he embarrassingly so blushed._

And then all hell broke loose.

"Ne, Sakura, what's this?" Kakashi asked, holding a package in his hands. A white package, perfectly wrapped. And by perfect, he meant perfect. It was wrapped, the tape out of site, no creases, nothing was out of place. And by the way Sakura was glaring at it, it might have been the ugliest thing in the world.

"Burn it," she growled, shooting evil glances at the harmless box. Eyebrows raised, Kakashi tore the note from the box and read the sender's name. _Haruno Akito,._

He had said it out loud, watching with curiosity as she flinched at the name. Haruno Akito was one of the most famous politicians in Konoha. Probably the most famous, if anyone had ever bothered to look at statistics. They didn't know that they were in any way, related.

"Its my father."

It was a strange moment. If he didn't know any better, Sasuke could have sworn that the voice was his own. It was empty, almost nonchalant, as if she didn't care about it, or anything.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something but got extremely quiet when she shot him a murderous glance, almost daring him to say something. Without another word said, she walked out the enclosed garden and went to whoever knew where.

They didn't see her again until three days after.

--

"I told myself that I'd be strong," she told him with teary eyes as she watched him pack his bag; Essential things, a toothbrush, clothes, shoes, kunai, etc.. Was she going to beg him not to go? His eyebrow ticked. That would be, most annoying of her.

"But I have to grow up," she murmured, watching him with a glaze over her eyes. His hands stilled. What?

"When you come back, I won't be here." She announced, a wavery smile on her face. Did she think that was going to stop him, he wondered, while looking down at his bag? He scoffed at the thought and added more clothes to his bag.

"And the path before your feet, is your own to follow. Not mine."

His mind went blank at her words, processing them. Was it wisdom? Was it possible that the person who he least thought to understand, understood the most? When he thought that she would be on her knees wailing, begging him to stay, she calmly said her blessing, even with a smile, and told him she understood.

It was too strange.

"I'll be strong, become the strongest kunoichi in the whole world. Even better than Tsunade-sama." She promised, smiling brightly, with determination in her eyes. She had really grown, he realized, with a growing sense of fear. Where was the person he had grown up with? The annoying girl with the big forehead and the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen?

_**She had grown up and matured, while he had stayed the same, obsessed with revenge. **_

_**He had missed it.**_

_**The blooming of his cherry blossom.**_

"But when you come back, you'll realize that it's not what you think it is. That when you come back, you'll see that it wasn't really worth it in the end. And I pray to Kami-sama, that you'll finally be satisfied."

She was silent then. Looking down at the bag, she noticed he was done packing.

With tense fingers, she closed the bag, and handed it to the young shinobi with a tight smile on her face. She wouldn't stop him, Sasuke realized, she had too much pride than to stand in his way. And for some odd reason, he wished that she would. He wished that she would cry and wail, pull on his arms, and beg him not to leave.

But despite his wish, she stood her hand stretched out, holding out the bag to him. Offering it to him, even though it was obvious that she didn't want to.

He really didn't know how much she wanted to throw the bag down on the floor and nail his door down. How much she wanted to scream at him, "How much is going to be sacrificed until you're satisfied?!"

But she stood. Offering the bag, her best effort of a smile on her face because she thought it was what he wanted. Because she only wished for one thing; his happiness.

_I won't stop you,_ her eyes told him, dry. They were dry, she'd run out of tears to shed for him a long time ago.

"I'm going to avenge my family." He told her, his eyes hard, as he grabbed the bag from her quickly. Her fingers stayed there, coiling back at the sense of loss in her hands. She knew it; that one day he would have to grab it from her. And he did.

"No, you're going to get revenge for yourself. Don't lie to me, and most especially don't lie to yourself."

Did it hurt her? He wondered to himself as he watched her stand still underneath his fixed gaze for the last time. Did it hurt her that he didn't find her important enough to give up his revenge? He found himself wondering that everyday.

"I have to let you go now. Because if I don't, I'll never be free. I don't want to stay here, in this moment, forever." She told him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Tears bit back at his eyes, but he refused to cry. Too much pride. Because as much as he wanted to let her go, he knew he never would be able to. He would be stuck in that moment, forever.

He wanted her to wait for him. But he had too much pride to ask. And she knew it.

With silent but heavy feet, the young Uchiha moved towards the door, watching the rain outside with faint interest. He was holding onto that hope. That she would tell him. Beg him to stay, and he would stay. But only for her.

"You know," she said in a strangled whisper, watching him with his back faced towards her, "My mother loved my father so much that she died for him. She was weak, always weak. But my father didn't care. His job was too important; more important than his children, more important than his wife. So my weak mother died ahead of us."

A cynical laugh escaped her mouth as she continued, "But you know what's funny, my father really did love her. But he wasn't even there for her funeral. He was always too busy."

"And because of that," she struggled to find her words, "I told myself to never fall in love because I'd want that person to be mine, and only mine. But I knew that I'd end up destroying that person."

He stood there, looking out at the rain with his crimson eyes filled with tears that fell down his cheeks. He never understood her. Even when he thought he did, he never really knew her.

"But regardless, I fell in love with someone."

_**I swear to it, that I'll love you until the end of time. I love you, and only you.**_

And he never looked back.


End file.
